


Where Are You Now?

by orphan_account



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Lifeline au, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-08 18:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7769026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kirk is an ensign aboard the USS Enterprise on a mission to Aldebaran II when a mysterious signal sends the Enterprise crashing down on an unfamiliar moon. Kirk searches for anyone who can receive his distress calls and gets Spock, a science officer aboard the VSA's Jellyfish. While Starfleet figures out how to rescue Kirk, and hopefully any other crew-mates, Spock guides Kirk on his exploration of the strange moon he's trapped on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Can you read me?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm doing a blind play-through of Lifeline. If I accidentally kill Taylor, Kirk dies, and so on. The tags will update to stay relevant as I go farther into the story!

**[incoming communication]**

 

**[establishing connection]**

 

**[receiving message]**

 

_ Hey, hello? _

 

_ … _

 

_ Anybody there? I hope this thing is working. _

 

Spock was just entering his quarters when his PADD chimed, alerting him of an incoming message. He had arranged for communications with his father at 0300 and it was unlikely to be him as his father was often exactly on time. There was no other being he was able to think of that would contact him on his personal device. With this in mind, Spock headed towards his desk and gingerly picked up the PADD to inspect. 

 

The display showed two brief messages from an unknown source. His interest was piqued. How was this stranger able to access his private system? From the second message sent it seemed the sender had doubts the message would get through in the first place. It seemed logical that simply asking for the identity of the sender would be the quickest way to solve this mystery and so Spock quickly replied. 

 

I have received your message. Who is this?

 

_ I probably should have opened with that. It’s just kind of a miracle someone received my signal and I got distracted. I’m Kirk, James Kirk. I am, well… I was an ensign aboard the starship Enterprise.  _

 

With a raised eyebrow, Spock read the starships name with interest. The USS Enterprise was hailed as the most advanced ship in Starfleet. Spock noted with interest that the cadet had correct himself, claiming to be on the ship in past tense. What could have happened to the Enterprise?

 

Ensign Kirk, is there an explanation for your unasked for communications?

  
  


_ Believe me, I don’t go messaging randos for fun.  _

 

_ The Enterprise was en route to Aldebaran II, everything was fine, Captain Pike finally let me on the bridge again after- well, that’s a story for a different time. But then… well, I don’t know.  _

 

_ Something was messing with the ship's functions and we had to separate the saucer from the rest of the ship before the entire thing crashed. _

_ We crashed on some moon. No clue where. _

 

Fascinating. Are you certain you do not know where you have landed? 

 

_ It’s daytime right now so looking at the stars is out of the question. I’m sure this isn’t any moon in the solar system we came from. _

 

_ The astromap is in the Enterprise, obviously, which I can see in the distance. The giant plumes of smoke are some handy landmarks.  _

 

He should report this to Starfleet. This was out of his jurisdiction, especially being a member of the Vulcan Science Academy. The ship he was aboard, the Jellyfish, was simply a scientific research vessel. It was a small crew of science officers and completely unequipped to stage a rescue mission, if the thought would ever be entertained. He put the thought aside for now to reply to Ensign Kirk’s message. He did not want the ensign to lose hope of communication. 

 

What is your current physical status?

 

_ Is this your way of asking if I’m okay? Who talks like that?  _

 

_ I am, by the way. Okay. I’m totally alone with nothing but a useless pod in the middle of a desert-like moon but the bright side is I’m not a mangled corpse.  _

 

_ Thanks for asking.  _

 

My way of speaking is optimized to convey my intentions in the clearest possible form. It is pleasing to know you are not grievously injured. 

 

_ What are you, a Vulcan? _

 

Your assumption is correct. I am S’chn T’gai Spock, currently aboard the VSA vessel Jellyfish. 

 

_ Woah, what? Why did Vulcan’s name their ship Jellyfish? With the stick you all have up your asses I thought it’d be a more science-y name.  _

 

The decision behind the name of our vessel is irrelevant. We are veering off topic and I do not believe you are at a point in time wherein that would be wise. Where are you located on the moon's surface? 

 

_ Bumfuck nowhere. It’s reminding me of Iowa. Maybe it’ll remind you of Vulcan.  _

 

_ I was on the bridge when it happened, but I was one of the first to get in an escape pod. Uhura shoved me in and went off to help the others. I think she was just excited to see me gone.  _

 

_ I still don’t know her first name… Fuck, I hope I’ll still have the chance.  _

 

_ I blacked out while I was in the pod. It’s lame, I know. I’m telling you this in confidence. You’re sworn to secrecy! Bone’s would never let me live it down.  _

 

Humor was often a way humans distracted oneself from a dire situation, Spock reminded himself. It was one of the leading reasons Spock found human’s hard to comprehend. Throughout current communications Ensign Kirk was displaying a constant changing shift between distress and humour. Thinking of his mother, Spock came to the conclusion he must stay in contact with the ensign in order to provide the emotional support necessary. Human’s can be very fragile, Spock noted, and do not take well to being alone.

 

Right now the most efficient course of action would to help Ensign Kirk find shelter. Once he is secured it would be imperative to contact Starfleet. Spock entertained the idea that they might already know. Surely the Enterprise would have sent a distress signal. It’s possible the signal that caused the crash would have also blocked any distress calls. Deciding to prepare for all possibilities, Spock readied a priority one to Starfleet. 

 

Switching back to his conversation with the ensign, Spock considered two options. He could ask about any of the two assumed crewmates mentioned, Uhura or “Bones”. It would be the emotional response, fostering a sense of camaraderie, though ultimately provide no useful information.  A more informational inquiry would be useful in assessing the course of action needed to be taken to finding shelter. 

 

In the end, survival won over comfort. 

 

Earlier you claimed the moon’s surface reminded you of Vulcan. Are you able to provide me with a more informative description?

 

_ Let me just get real intimate with these rocks. Yup, yup. Dusty. Dry. The ground is cracked. There's a white peak in the distance.  _

 

_ Looking at it closer… it doesn’t look natural. Too symmetrical. The tricorder says the peak is in the northeast. _

 

_ South and southwest are the directions of the smoking mess of our ship. I’m assuming the saucer broke in half. Ouch. The crash site is closer than the peak, which is great, right? _

 

I am apt to agree. It would be wise to check the ruins for other nearby escape pods, in addition to medical and survival supplies. 

 

_ Fingers crossed. Bones was on the bridge patching up Sulu after he got fried when the navigation board fritzed. So, uh, hopefully his medical supplies are still laying around.  _

 

_ Off I go. Southward. Rough estimate, but it should take me about an hour to get there.  _

 

**[Kirk is busy]**

 

Closing out of the screen, Spock allowed himself to slump in his chair a fraction of an inch. In the next moment he reopened the priority one message and sent it. It included a transcription of all relevant information Ensign Kirk had revealed to him. There was nothing left to do now but wait. The entire encounter had only taken half an hour. In another half hour Sarek would call him. He sent a short message informing Sarek he was unable to speak with him at this time, he did not want the call to intersect with his communications to Ensign Kirk. 

 

Standing and straightening his uniform, Spock pocketed his PADD before exiting his quarters. An hour would give him just enough time to review his recent experiments. 


	2. Living on a prayer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took a while to do because i started college, and ive been working a lot on top of that. sorry! 
> 
> uhura is captain aya, i wanted to save her but it seems like i chose the wrong option. :(

As the hour was almost up, Spock slipped his PADD out of his pocket. Seeing he had two new messages he set the equipment he held in his other hand on the table beside him and took a seat, swiping open to the messages. Neither were from Starfleet, both from ensign Kirk.

 

_I’m turning into putty, I think I overestimated the distance._

 

_I’m halfway there. Living on a prayer._

 

The texts were sent twenty seven minutes ago. After reading them Spock raised what might be considered a judgemental eyebrow, already composing a response in his mind and preparing to type it out when he received another string of messages.

 

_I see her! The Enterprise, or whatever’s left of her._

 

_The saucer split in half, I’ve got no idea how. We didn’t have any physical damage to the ship and there’s nothing around here for the ship to hit as it’s crashing...other than the ground obviously._

 

_There’s so much debris scattered. Not going to lie I’m a little terrified._

 

It is imperative you attempt to locate any survivors. 

 

_Yeah, you’re right. That’s a good idea. I might be able to scavenge for rations and medical supplies too._

 

_I’ll be back soon, I’ve got to navigate this mess._

 

**[Kirk is busy]**

 

With convenient timing, his PADD alerted him to an incoming call from Admiral Paris. He accepted the call, the woman’s face appearing with almost-concealed worry.

 

“Admiral, what can I do for you?” Spock dipped his head slightly in respect. She nodded in return.

“We received your message and are extremely grateful. When we lost contact with the Enterprise we were unable to track its path. A rescue ship is on its way to retrieve the secondary hull. We’ve attempted to contact ensign Kirk with no success.” The admiral gave Spock an inquiring look, prompting him to speak.

 

“The device I am using to contact ensign Kirk is of a slightly older model, version 12.5. I can think of no other detail of importance, having never modified my PADD. I cannot explain how his distress signal is reaching only me, sir.” Silently, to himself, Spock vowed to research it later.

 

“While our people look into it, I would like to ask you to continue your discussions with the ensign.”

 

“Something I had planned to do myself. He will be able to provide vital information to aide in his own rescue.”

 

Admiral  Paris smiled slightly, softly. “He’ll need a friend, as well. Admiral out.”

 

The screen blinked out, black, before Spock exited the window. He had missed several messages from ensign Kirk during the conversation.

 

_Fuck. I should have expected this. I did expect this, I just hoped…._

 

_I found some of the crew. Give me a minute I’m going to be sick._

 

_This is sick. Some crew members were pretty close to the area where the Enterprise split. I can’t tell who they are, I can’t…_

 

_No. Nononono._

 

Spock waited. After a minute had passed and no new message, he responded.

 

Ensign Kirk, what has happened. 

 

Two minutes passed with no reply. It was unlikely the man had died, Spock was baffled for a moment before realizing the ensign might be overcome with emotion at the sight of his deceased crew. Spock could not deny that he would feel nothing at the sight of such carnage and resolved to wait for the ensign to ‘pull himself together’.

 

After five more minutes a text was received.

 

_Scotty, Chekov, Sulu, Chapel._

 

_...Bones. All dead. I can’t find Uhura. She should be here, at least._

 

_Spock, I...I need a moment._

 

Ensign Kirk, I extend my sympathies to you. I do not wish to appear insensitive but you are in a position which requires you to keep moving. Time is precious in a situation like this. 

 

_You’re right. I’ve got to keep it together. Besides, I won’t get much emotional support from a Vulcan, ha!_

 

Hesitating, Spock thought about how to respond to such a message. A buzz interrupted him; a slightly melodic voice entering through the speaker. He felt a twinge of annoyance at the interruption. 

 

“I request permission to enter.” It took no time for Spock to recognize her as T’Vel, a junior science officer.

 

“Permission granted.” Spock pressed the button to open his quarter’s door and turn his chair to face his visitor. He held back the urge to move restlessly, drum his fingers or move his legs. Responding to Kirk was a priority but he could not ignore his juniors, his duty was to his ship and to the Vulcan Science Academy.

 

T’Vel stepped inside primly, her hands folded behind her back, holding a PADD.

 

“The results for tests 2b and 1c have been compiled,” a soft ping from Spock’s own PADD diverted his attention, though T’Vel continued to speak.

 

_Spock?_

 

_Shit, did I lose connection??_

 

Bringing his eyes back to the woman before him, Spock noted she had ceased speaking. He had missed the entirety of her report. Simply nodding, he took the PADD from her when she held it out, gave it a cursory glance before signing his name, and handed it back to her. The moment Spock heard his door close with a soft whoosh, he opened his PADD.

 

I apologize, ensign Kirk. I am an officer aboard a science vessel, as you know, and have other duties I must entertain. 

 

_...Yeah I should have expected that._

 

_Time to move on, like you said, I need to focus on survivors and supplies. The longer I stare at these bodies the closer I am to joining them._

 

_Just kidding._

 

Spock’s brow furrowed slightly. He did not like the tone conveyed in the message. Yet breaching the earlier subject seemed tricky now, as Kirk had expressed desire to move on from the topic.

 

Deciding he would bring it up later, Spock typed back his reply.

 

Where are your options? 

 

_Past the bridge there’s the galley and the lab. Please let there be a silver lining here, and tell me Bone’s tribbles are deader than a doornail._

 

I fail to see how doornails factor into a tribble’s death, or any death in particular. Doornails are a long unused method of construction, but I digress. I am getting off topic. I can say with some certainty that the percentage of survival is higher for creatures like tribbles. With this in mind, as well as to prevent further emotional damage, I suggest you head in the direction of the galley. You will need food. 

 

_Did you just go on a mini rant about some dumb idiom I used? That’s freaking hilarious. Side splitting, really._

 

_That’s one stuck door. I swear I’m stronger than this, but I think all that laughing I did earlier sapped my strength. And maybe the traumatizing event of being stranded on a planet by myself...but mostly the laughter._

 

_I’m not above destroying this door with a phaser though, which luckily was stored in my Kelvin pod._

 

_Alright, not as easy as I thought. This might drain my phaser._

 

**[Kirk is busy]**

 

_This is impossible. But I don’t want to sound like I’m being dramatic so I’ll borrow some of your vocabulary and go with “improbable”._

 

_It’s getting dark, too. I need somewhere to sleep so I don’t freeze and die. Imagine going through all that effort and I die on day one. Spock, your reputation would be blown to bits! No one would let you guide them through post-crash survival missions ever again._

 

It is my hope that this experience will be my first and last of the kind. Ensign Kirk, what exactly is the status of the door? Surviving the night, surviving on this planet, will be hard without proper nutrition. 

 

_Gah, you’re right. Again. I have enough juice in the phaser for one more try. There’s definitely a hole in the door…Maybe if I just…_

 

_Yes! And ouch! I made a hole big enough to climb through, which is great, and burned my shoulder pretty bad while doing it, which is not great. I should have waited for the hole to cool down but I’m just. so. hungry._

 

Have you located anything useful, ensign? 

 

_Boy, have I. And call me Kirk, please, or Jim. I think we’re at that level._

 

I am unaware of what level you are referring too, I am only addressing you by your correct title. 

 

_A personal level, man! You aren’t my commanding officer._

 

While you are correct that I am not your commanding officer, I am still engaging with you on a professional level. Starfleet has instructed me to keep in contact with you as they cannot find your signal. Nevertheless, if you would prefer for me to call you Kirk I shall endeavour to do so. I would not deny something so simple to someone in a situation as yours. 

 

_That’s, well… that’s great. I’m not surprised Starfleet is looking for us but it’s still nice to hear. Don’t get too soft on me, Spock. You won’t deny me something so simple? Well in return I won’t deny you what I’m sure you’re curious about. What I found in the galley: chili macaroni, saurian brandy and bottled water._

 

_The saurian brandy is probably Scotty’s. I already drained half the bottle. A drink in their honor… I can almost hear Bone’s berating me for getting tipsy on an unknown planet._

 

Moving from his chair to his bed without taking his eyes off the PADD, Spock felt himself do exactly what Kirk had jokingly accused him of. He felt himself momentarily overcome with sadness. Spock had lost his mother, something that had forced him to meditate for months before regaining full composure. Based off of that he could only assume how painful it was for Kirk to discover his companions all gone in a single moment.

 

Eyes drifting down to the small clock at the bottom of the screen, Spock noted he had been helping the ensign—Kirk—almost entirely throughout his designated sleeping hours. As a Vulcan, Spock didn’t require as much sleep as a human. Once he was on duty again was another problem, though. It was debatable if the captain would temporarily relieve Spock of duty so he could focus on helping Kirk or dismiss it as Starfleet’s problem. Despite Vulcan’s alliance with Earth, Spock learnt early on the VSA’s distaste for humans.

 

It was something he would have to address later.

 

I am inclined to agree with ‘Bones’. It is unwise to intoxicate yourself in an unknown situation. 

 

_Whatever, mom. I’ve finished my chili and the loss of food means no more distraction from my aching, scorched shoulder. I don’t have any medical stuff though._

 

_Should I go to the lab or find somewhere to hunker down for the night?_

 

Do you believe there is anything of importance in the labs? 

 

_I wouldn’t call tribbles something of importance. They’d just eat all my food and...well I’d like to keep a healthy stock of edibles, y’know._

 

Then I suggest finding a suitable place to rest for the night. 

 

_Good call. If you had told me to go to the labs I would have refused anyways. It’s rapidly getting darker and colder by the minute._

 

_I could sleep in the wreckage but without power to the ship any door I open will be like that forever. I’d be exposed to the elements but have a roof over my head._

 

_My next option is sleeping next to one of the reactor engines. It looks real warm and toasty. I can tell by the squiggly heat lines it’s emitting._

 

_(How about that science-talk? Advanced terminology I learned in, oh, fourth grade?)_

 

_My science speak aside, which I’m sure got you hot and bothered, that thing is a hunk of radiation and I’m not sure how much would kill me. My tricorder says it’s emitting 150 rads. Will I die a horrific death overnight, or will I become the next spiderman?_

 

You may experience minor hair loss and vomiting but it is not life threatening. You will not gain any spider related abilities. 

 

_Uh, I think any kind of hair loss is life threatening. But I’ll have to deal. What a shitty deal. Hair loss and no super powers._

 

_I’m trusting you on this. You’re a Vulcan, so this stuff is your area of expertise, right?_

 

_Is it xenophobic to call all Vulcan’s smart?_

 

_Not important, nevermind. Goodnight and here’s to a better tomorrow. (I’m taking a shot right now, in case you couldn’t tell. Cheers.)_

 

**[Kirk is busy]**

  
Spock set his PADD down gently on his bed. He had two hours and twenty six minutes before he was on duty again, he would send a report to Starfleet before meditating on today’s events.


End file.
